Native Resistance to Canadian Land Claims

11022010

*STATEMENT*

Ancestral Lineages deny Canada’s claim to land ownership between the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean

‘Vancouver, B.C. Canada’ – February 11, 2010

This is an official notice that the Olympic Games are illegally occupying and policing un-surrendered St’at’imc Native Land. Proper consultation has never taken place between the invaders, the International Olympic Committee and the people of our communities. As long as there is destruction on our traditional land, we will confront all requests to invest in or develop on our Mother Earth. All land is sacred. Our territory runs far and deep into the mountains here and beyond. It does not stop at the borders of the reservations created by the racist Canadian and American systems.

There is third world conditions, land occupation, preventable diseases, child poverty and substance abuse happening to our people. We will always uphold our duty to protect the land and its people. We will always take a stand when there is a threat to the well being of our Mother the Earth.

We demand justice for the missing and murdered women here. We demand recognition of our claim to our OWN land. All mining, drilling and exploration must be halted, disassembled and evicted from all native lands in so called beautiful British Columbia.

The four host nations did not bring this issue to a concensus amongst the communities within the traditional borders of the land in question. We see clearly that Canada claims ownership of these lands, no land agreements with tribes of ‘British Columbia’ exist here, clearly none of which are upheld by the Government. We state that we have never deserted our land, and deny Canada’s right to claim it.

We protest against the expansion of any existing railway or highway lines on our lands.

We will take action when our ancestral remains are being disrupted for the sake of economy.

We declare opposition to further development by purposed and existing ski resorts in the interior St’at’imc and surrounding tribes.